A 19th century bell is getting a new home and a prominent location outside the Eastern Bank office in downtown Lowell, the bank announced today.

Lowell Heritage Partnership (LHP) restored the bell and sought permission to display it outside the bank’s office at the corner of Central and Prescott streets.

The 500-square-foot, triangular-shaped lot at 50 Central St. will be transformed into a memorial dedicated to the city’s millworkers. A dedication ceremony is planned for later this year.

"Eastern Bank has a long history of teaming up with community organizations on a variety of initiatives, so working with an organization such as the LHP on a local historical preservation project is a natural fit for the bank," said bank President Robert Rivers. "Since the Lowell National Historical Park was created in 1978, the city has done an exceptional job preserving its history. This is our modest contribution to that effort."

The bell, believed to be made around 1859 by the Naylor Vickers Co. of Sheffield, England, may have been used in a clock tower, church, mill building, fire station or police barracks. Lowell, known as the "Bell City" during much of the 19th century, used bells to toll the hours of the day; sing songs of worship; alert fire crews of fires; and summon millworkers.